Officers remain in touch at the top

CHESTER County Officers were facing an unknown quantity in Saturday's Cheshire Alliance match but managed to defeat Sandbach on their first visit to the ground, following relegation from the Cheshire League last season, to remain in third place.

CHESTER County Officers were facing an unknown quantity in Saturday's Cheshire Alliance match but managed to defeat Sandbach on their first visit to the ground, following relegation from the Cheshire League last season, to remain in third place.

Tony Hattersley was on form this week and, together with the obdurate Mike Clarke (21), blunted the visiting attack with an opening stand of 81. Ian Barlow (33) carried on the good work with some flashing drives which the fielders failed to deal with. Hattersley gave himself away with a poor shot, out for 63 with the score 132-3, but the scene was set for a late assault. John Gilbody (19), Adam Gewargis (12no) and a swashbuckling 31 from Steve Johnson took the score to 210-6 and a declaration leaving 44 overs for Sandbach to chase the target.

Sandbach opened positively and showed that they had some talented batsmen.

Hutchins was well caught behind by Hattersley, off paceman Steve Johnson, but then Officers' fielders had a touch of the 'yips' as three chances went begging. But Hattersley was able to raise the level with a fantastic leg-side stumping off Mike Clarke - and from then on the fielding was superb.

Sandbach were well in the match, scoring freely on the lightning-fast outfield, but young Mike Rowlands brought excitement to the game with his leg-breaks and picked up three key wickets. Cotton was well taken at deep square leg by Barlow, Aravinda Da Silva was snapped up at slip by Collard, but the crucial one was that of Andy Williams who had looked a class act in scoring a powerful 57. With his departure at 110-5, caught on the very edge at long-off by Mike Clarke, Sandbach, with 20 overs left, lost their focus and perished to some excellent cricket by Officers.

John Gilbody got in on the act with two wickets caught by Jackson and Collard, and then it was a matter of time as Johnson returned to finish off the last three, Clarke adding two more excellent catches at mid-off. Sandbach were all out for 145 with seven overs to spare.

Johnson (4-27) and Rowlands (3-40) took the honours with Gilbody (2-34) tying one end up at an important stage of the match.

Officers took 25 points to Sandbach's six. Saughall fought out a hard-earned draw at Roshtherne in a match they might have won had they performed as well with the bat as they have previously this season.

After an almost unprecedented win of the toss, Saughall inserted Rostherne to bat first and got an early breakthrough when Pete Tunnicliffe found the outside edge and Ian Jenkins took a fine one-handed catch behind the stumps, sending the opener back to the pavilion with a duck to his name. The home side's skipper was the next man to go, caught at slip by a blink-of-the-eye diving catch from Richard Tomlinson, leaving the score on 55-2. Saughall were in the ascendency but a 99-run third-wicket partnership put Rostherne in charge, although it might have ended early on when Lines (44) seemed fortunate to escape a stumping appeal.

Economical bowling kept the runs down to barely a trickle but with wickets in hand, Britton was able to play some big strokes before Tunnicliffe (2-35) trapped him leg before wicket for 81. Mike Andrews (3-37) was also recalled into the attack in the dying overs and picked up three good wickets, including a terrific catch in the deep by Les Perkins, and Saughall were able to restrict Rostherne to 174-6 off 48 overs, just one run shy of maximum batting points.

Saughall were confident of a positive run-chase, even without four top-order batsmen, but what followed was a catalogue of unfortunate dismissals as they collapsed to 69-6. Frustratingly, it wasn't so much a case of penetrative bowling that caused the damage, rather injudicious or mistimed shots from the batsman. Setting the trend were openers Chris Andrews (0) and Mark Tunnicliffe (5), who both top-edged deliveries to the hands of fine-leg.

In-form Andy Thomas (4) was next to go, edging to slip, while another batsman who was in the runs last week, Richard Tomlinson (13), looked set for another good knock before he hit a full toss straight to the fielder at mid-wicket. Perkins (20) looked in prime form before he was bowled attempting another big hit. And when Pete Tunnicliffe (13) skied one to cover, Saughall were in dire straits at 69-6.

Desperate times call for desperate measures and walking to the crease at number eight was James Huxley, who is used to opening the batting but is nursing a broken bone in his hand. He helped steady the ship with Mike Andrews who played a very mature 23 before he edged behind with five overs to go. Huxley (33no) batted out the remaining overs of the game along with Jenkins (6no) as Saughall reached 131-7 to earn the draw.